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Megadeth - Greatest Hits: Back To The Start

Rating

RIYL

MD .45
Metallica
Anthrax
Judas Priest

Tracklist

1. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
2. In My Darkest Hour
3. Peace Sells
4. Sweating Bullets
5. Angry Again
6. A Tout Le Monde
7. Trust
8. Kill The King
9. Symphony Of Destruction
10. Mechanix
11. Train Of Consequences
12. Wake Up the Dead
13. Hangar 18
14. Dread And the Fugitive Mind
15. Skin O' My Teeth
16. She Wolf
17. Prince Of Darkness

The past few years haven’t been too kind to Megadeth leader Dave Mustaine. Health problems, unstable lineups, spotty reviews, and a highly publicized feud with his former band mates—Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield—must have done a serious number on the psyche of the thrash pioneer. But Capitol/EMI Records—Megadeth’s label for many years—has gone to great lengths lately to preserve his band’s legacy, first by reissuing its back catalog, then with the release of this new compilation.

Featuring well over an hour’s worth of material, each song’s inclusion was voted on by fans via the band’s website. The material spans Megadeth’s various periods, from hungry thrash upstarts to hard rock hit makers. It would’ve been nice if early thrashers like “Killing Is My Business” or “Devil’s Island” were included, but hey, this is what the fans wanted, so there you go. The album does feature “Peace Sells,” “Sweating Bullets, “Symphony Of Destruction” plus many others.

The DVD features the scarce “Kill The King” video plus some live footage where the band plays as ferociously as ever. The packaging for this collection is some of the best I’ve seen so far this year. The CD and DVD come housed in a hardback book with a glossy cover and inside there is also a booklet containing some quite ominous artwork. Should you really expect anything less?

With renewed interest generated by this new release and the revamped back catalog, as well as a headlining spot on a major summer festival tour, Dave’s got a lot to smile about these days. Let’s hope he can handle all the good fortune.

-—Jim Kaz

Comments

Rick Gebhardt

07/20/2005

08:23AM

Age: 31

Location
Minnesota

Man, the review doesn't really tell us anything about this release other than it has classic Megadeth tunes on it. I was hoping to find out a little more. You mention a little about the packaging. I'd also like to know more about the dvd. How's the video quality? Is the material worth the extra money? How about the songs on the cd? Do you think it was a good capture of Megadeth's history? Is it worth it for fans to pick up or should only people looking for a quick Megadeth fix that don't own the original cds buy it? There are so many questions that should be answered, especially if it's getting a 4/5...

Find me EVERYWHERE:

Kazy

07/20/2005

08:24AM

Location
Santa Monica, CA

This was a good release. Better than most shitty best-ofs.

[IMG]http://www.denness.net/rpi/username/KingKazy[/IMG]

brent white

07/20/2005

09:34PM

Location
Chicago

you can't encapsulate Megadeth's immaculate career with such a pathetic release. just like you can't summarize this album when you talk more about dave mustaine's recent non-musical, or unimportant, run-ins, than the actual disk itself.

JImK

07/23/2005

12:46PM

Hey there,

Thanks for your feedback. Rick, I think I did address your points, in a brief manner. I don't think most people want to read long, drawn-out reviews, especially of a greatest-hits comp, which most bands put out only to fulfill their contract requirements, or revive interest. And I don't think fans need their hands held with a step-by-step analysis.
I did speak to the nice packaging, and the fact that the fans chose the songs themselves. For those unfamiliar with the band, I also gave a brief synopsis of what's been going on with ol' Dave, since his personality has always been a huge part of the band. I gave it a good review, because it's good comp--although it's not a perfect. Either way, I appreciate the input. Cheers, Jim